Electrophoretic separation techniques are separation techniques in which the components of sample plugs are separated in a separation column by the differences in the migration rates of those sample components on the application of an electric field therealong, where absorption, fluoroescence, electrochemistry, conductivity, radioactivity and mass spectrometry can be all used to detect the electrophoretic separation.
As will be appreciated, the ability to determine accurately the velocities of migrating components, such as components electrophoretically separated in a separation column, is highly desirable. In this regard, the present inventor has identified that the velocities of the migrating components provided in a single sample plug have a common vertex to which the points in space-time co-ordinates can be fitted, and hence allow for improved resolution of the velocities.
Also, the ability to classify migrating objects into groups each having a common constraint, either time or spatially related, has particular application in allowing migrating components to be detected in a single detection sequence and identified as being from one of a plurality of separately-provided multi-component sample plugs. Whilst this technique has application in very many fields, one particular application is the sequencing of polymeric samples, such as DNA samples, where sample plugs provided separately, either in space or time, and comprising DNA bands having the different base pair terminations can be driven in a single step through a separation channel and yet classified into groups according to the respective sample plug. In this way, sequencing of a polymeric sample, exemplified as a DNA sample, is possible from knowledge of the base pair termination of each sample plug to which the migrating components are assigned and calculation of the length of the DNA bands from the measured velocities. One particular advantage of this technique is that the sample components do not need to be labelled, although labelling could assist in providing for improved detection of the migrating components.
It is thus an aim of the present invention to provide an improved analysis system for and method of determining the velocities of migrating objects, such as sample components travelling through a channel, and also to provide an analysis system for and method of classifying migrating objects into groups each having a common constraint, such as the components in a plurality of separately-provided sample plugs.